


You Are The Bigger Part Of Me

by disgraceRavenclaw



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: (as always), ;), Don't be fooled by the ship tags baby, Surprise guest - Freeform, this fic is Arthur centric, this story. it isn't very happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-06 08:22:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16828759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disgraceRavenclaw/pseuds/disgraceRavenclaw
Summary: Little foal. Oh, little roan.I'm on my way.





	1. Arthur

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, sorry about this  
> *beats Arthur over the head with another feelsy fanfic*  
> Practicing with a more unique POV style (1st person)

_You are the bigger part of me._

* * *

Lewis was back at last. The mystery of his disappearance has been solved. Why wasn’t My mind at ease?

Perhaps things weren’t normal, anymore. Lewis was… well, not exactly alive anymore. He wasn’t gone, but he wasn’t here either, not really. And there was the big, undeniable fact that Lewis hated me with every fiber of his being (And he was tall, so that’s a lot of fibers).

But things were sort of normal, too; in the ways I really didn’t want them to be. Like how Lewis and Vivi were back together, and I was stuck as a third wheel again. This time, Lewis hating me only rubbed salt into the wound. I was right back to being invisible to the ones I cared about.

And there was always trauma. A whole lot of trauma, and nothing good coming from this at all. Severe PTSD and Depression keeps me in the workshop in the least taxing of times, and in bed in the most. My lost arm wasn’t exactly a wound to turn my nose up at either.

* * *

_It has been so long since I’ve been with you. I know you are suffering._

_I can help stop the pain._

_And you. You can help me on the way, can’t you?_

* * *

It’s definitely a worse day, both for my mental illness and for my arm. I’ve been having wicked phantom pains all day. Maybe less painful is how hungry i’ve been. I’ve been hungry since the sun started setting an hour ago, and I couldn’t get myself to get up.

I had to think about it for a long time. My phantom pains came in waves, and movement only exacerbated it. After I was coming down from a less painful ache, I gathered my energy and took a chance.

It didn’t surprise me, since I expected it, but my arm (stub, really) started hurting like hell. The pain pulsed in and out of my blood. I hissed, bringing a hand up to cover my shoulder like it did anything. The pains were so bad, I had yet to put my prosthetic on, and I doubt it would be on at all today.

* * *

_I hate to see you hurting. I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true._

_When you hurt, I hurt, too._

* * *

I ignored the pain as well as I could, and made my way out of my room. Vivi and Lewis were in the shop as well, since they chose this place to plan out cases and study up on ghosts. The garage had a full desk in it, since that’s where I worked most of the time, and apparently it was the best space we had.

I crept through the shop quietly. I had yet to see Lewis and Vivi, so my hopes were high that they just went home. I turned around the corner to the kitchen, and froze. Lewis was in the kitchen, talking to Vivi. They were discussing something, and laughing. I was too far away to hear.

Just then, I saw Lewis look out of the corner of his eye at me. He glared, and I hid behind the wall. They both stopped talking. I could hear their conversation faintly.

“What is it, Lewis?”

“Nothing.”

I snuck off into the hall. Food could wait.

* * *

_They don’t care about you, you know. I do. I care about you._

_I care about your current condition, and if you can help me._

_I know you can._

* * *

I waited for another hour before heading back. When I returned, they were gone. I stayed on alert, walking quietly into the kitchen. I looked for something to eat, and didn’t find much. I managed to make myself a sandwich.

It was a little bit of a struggle, since I only had one arm. I managed, though. I put the sandwich on a plate, and went to carry it back to my room, but first, I heard some voices from the garage that caught my attention.

So, they hadn’t left. Great. I just wanted to mind my business and get back to my room, but I caught a piece of the conversation without meaning to.

“I don’t think he should be coming with us on our cases.”

I paused. Turning my head towards the Garage, I placed the plate down on the counter. I walked closer to the Garage. The door was slightly open, not nearly enough to be seen, but enough to hear what was going on inside. I leaned forward, ear facing the door.

“Lewis, I understand where you’re coming from, but-”

“Me and Arthur aren’t even REMOTELY getting along right now, and I’d rather not have him around.”

“Yes, I understand that, but he’s as much of a part of this team as-”

“He doesn’t even leave the _house_ anymore. Have you considered he even _wants_ to show up? Think about it. He’s always hesitant. And, I mean… he doesn’t do much.”

I felt my throat close up. I leaned away from the door, walking backwards. They wanted to kick me out? Yeah, I mean… I never liked ghost hunting, anyway, but it was the only time they were together anymore, at least, since the cave accident.

They didn’t think I _did_ much, either. I didn’t contribute. It was, true, but I still felt awful hearing it. I kept backing away from the door, too shocked to do much else.

_CRASH!_

The ceramic plate with the sandwich on it fell to the floor, shattering. I flinched away from the noise. The voices outside ceased. “Shit,” I mumbled under my breath. I hurried out of the room, and back into my own.

* * *

_I am the only thing that you need._

_You are the only thing that I need._

_Little foal. Oh, little roan._

_I’m on my way._

* * *

I shut the door behind me. My breathing becomes erratic. They really want to get rid of me, don’t they? I always knew that’s what they wanted, at least part of me did, even before Lewis died. I was always excess. I wasn’t ever there for anything useful.

I was just the mechanic.

Oh,, god… I was never their friend, was I?

I couldn’t tell how many of my thoughts were catastrophizing and how many were justified. My throat tightened, and I let out a quiet sob. I got into bed, dragging the blankets over top of me.

Under my quiet crying, I heard Lewis and Vivi speaking in another room. Their voices were muffed, and unreadable, but Lewis’ was louder. He knew I was listening, I would bet on it. It was only a matter of time before they came in, and I’d have to explain myself, and tell them I was eavesdropping.

I’ll be out of the Mystery Skulls (and their lives) for sure, then. No doubt.

* * *

_I’m here for you._

_I’m right here, outside your room._

_Let me in._

* * *

I heard a tapping outside of my window. I didn’t think they’d get in _that_ way. I lifted the blanket from my head, and tried to gather myself. Time to face the consequences, I suppose.

To my surprise, I didn’t recognize who was outside the window. The must have been crouching, because I didn’t see a body. Just their hand. They tapped with one finger, the rest curled in on their palm.

They were just a silhouette on my window. I looked towards the door, then back to the window. I got up on my feet, and journeyed toward the window, slowly. The person stopped tapping. They opened their hand, and waved. I didn’t know what to do, so I waved back.

It gestured to me, asking me to open the window. I did. When I opened it, I looked out of the window to see who was waving. I froze in fear.

There was nobody there. The hand wasn’t attached to anything.

Before I could make a noise, it pushed me back. My head crashed against the bed post, and I felt my vision blurring. The noises of the world faded away, and I started to black out.

* * *

_I’m sorry, Arthur. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I know you wouldn’t agree to this. It’s okay, though. I know what you need. I know what you need more than they do. More than you do._

_You don’t have that infernal metal plug on your shoulder this time. This will be easy. I line myself up with your shoulder, and reattach._

_The transition was smooth. It takes a bit of my energy, but I managed to return to you completely again. Now you are whole. Aren’t you glad?_

_I hear their voices downstairs. I know they will not allow me to stay with you. I doubt you will want that. I have given you back that which I know you want more than most things. Though, I know you also want them._

_You are not perfect._

_We stand up. Our skin is such a beautiful green. I missed this color on you. I missed being part of something more. I want to run our hand through our hair. I want to touch our face, to prove it’s real. This feeling is unprecedented._

_But we have little time. Our hearing is stronger, now that I’m with you again. I hear their words. I dare not process them, for you might hear it. We hear their footsteps. They’re approaching._

_We open the window wider to that we may leave as soon as possible. We can finally be free. We can finally do all we were meant to be._

_It has been so long since we’ve been with ourself. I know you are suffering._

_I will help stop our pain._

_And you. You will help us on the way, won’t you?_


	2. Lewis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I hear their words. I dare not process them, for you might hear it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings???  
> Blood mention  
> Lewis-compliant Arthur bashing  
> that's it

Nothing is going to be normal anymore. I should just learn to live with it. Well, exist as a ghost with it. I know Vivi cares about Arthur and wants to protect him from harm, but I can’t keep myself from being angry still.

I’m a poltergeist. It’s what I do, for God’s sake! It’s mostly Arthur’s fault we’re in this situation anyway. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be dead, Vivi wouldn’t have been vulnerable to Shiromori attacking because I’d have been there, and everything would still be kind of normal.

The only good thing Arthur’s done lately is warn me, let me know he’s a dangerous person. I dread to think of what might have happened if it were Vivi.

I still catch him being suspicious and sneaky sometimes. Earlier, when me and Vivi were hanging out in the kitchen, having a laugh, I caught his gaze out of the corner of my eye. He was just standing there, watching! I still worry he plans on getting rid of Vivi. At least if he did, I’d have even more of a viable reason to get my revenge, but I would never let it come to that.

Which is why I decided to talk to Vivi about letting Arthur go.

We were discussing a new case, and she was telling me all about how it might help Arthur get out of the house. “Arthur’s been… you know, dragging his feet lately. He’s been pretty much inactive all week. I’m not entirely sure he left his room today.”

I was.

“That’s why I think getting back out on the road for some fresh air might be good for him!” Vivi turned back to me, smiling. I tried bringing this up in the past, but I was never able to. That goddamn smile kept me from speaking up. Not today.

I look away. “Actually, Vivi, I think it would be better if we just let Arthur… you know, _not_ show up.”

Vivi’s smile fell. “Lewis? What do you mean?” I felt my stomach turn a little. I hated to see her so sad… “You know, me and Arthur aren’t doing great right now, and he… Vivi, I don’t think he should be coming with us on our cases.

Vivi was taken aback. “Lewis,” she said, quietly, “I understand where you’re coming from, but-”

I won’t let her argue on this. It’s bearing too heavy on my mind. “Me and Arthur aren’t even REMOTELY getting along right now, and I’d rather not have him around,” I say, hoping she’ll listen to the truth.

She stands with her hands on her hips, ready to argue anyway. “Yes, I understand that, but he’s as much of a part of this team as-”

“He doesn’t even leave the house anymore,” I interrupt. If she won’t listen to the _truth,_ I could appeal to her side instead. “Have you considered he even wants to show up? Think about it.”

I can see her pose falter, and I know she’s mulling it over, so I continue. “He’s always hesitant. And, I mean… he doesn’t do much.” After an offended look, I clarify: “On missions _or_ at his home. He just sits around, doing nothing. I don’t think he _wants_ to go anywhere.”

Vivi looked almost sold. “I don’t know, Lewis,” she said, still clinging to her argument. “It’s healthy to get out of the house. I’m not sure being cooped up will be good for him…”

“And you think being in situations where he’s fleeing for his life from a ghost _will?”_

That gets her, I can tell. “I’ll talk to him about it. Maybe… maybe he still-”

 _CRASH!_ The sound of something ceramic falling to the floor from the kitchen snaps both of our heads up, attention grabbed. I can hear the sound of footsteps rushing away from the kitchen.

 _Arthur._ That rat. He can’t keep to himself, can he? He’s always spying. Vivi turns back to me. “Did you hear that?” she says. I nod, still looking at the kitchen. “Yeah, of course I heard it. It was in the kitchen.”

Vivi walked towards the door to the kitchen. “Maybe Arthur knocked something over,” she said. I balled my fist up. “I’ll go in first,” I say, trying to powerwalk ahead of Vivi. She held an arm out in front of me, blocking my way. “You might spook him,” she said. “He’s skittish, you know.”

I sigh. “Okay, Vivi,” i say, giving in, but staying close behind her. We both enter the kitchen carefully.

Arthur isn’t in here. There’s a sandwich on the floor, surrounded by ceramic shards. “Watch your step,” I tell Vivi. She nods. She’s smiling. “I’m glad he made himself something to eat. Too bad he dropped it.”

Vivi’s been having this weird motherly attitude towards Arthur recently. I don’t _think_ it’s anything suspicious, but I don’t want him to worm his way too far into her heart. It’s not like he even needs this much care.

Of course, he acts like it. I understand having issues with his arm, that’s a separate issue, but he has problems with _everything._ He has problems with tiny little things, like waking up, or making food, or just doing household chores, and Vivi (bless her heart, she’s too sweet) eats his act right up.

She loves caring about people. She cares about people when they don’t even need caring for. It’s sweet of her, but I wish she would see through Arthur’s facade. There’s no reason he should act like this.

So, Vivi leads me through the shop-slash-house on a fun little search for where the hell Arthur went off to. Arthur’s uncle Lance isn’t home right now, he’s out helping someone’s who’s car got stuck. They do on road calls now, I guess.

A loud crash grabs our attention again. Less like a plate breaking, More like a lot of things falling over all at once. It comes from down the hall in Arthur’s room. Vivi walks down the hall, cautiously, towards Arthur’s room. “You have to be quiet,” she says to me. “We don’t want to scare him.”

He really did have her wrapped around his little pinky, didn’t he? I nod back anyway. She walked towards the door, setting a hand on the wood. “Arthur?” she called. “Arthur, you okay in there? We heard a plate break.”

A couple scratching noises come from inside, but no actual response. Vivi tried again. “Arthur,” She said, just a little louder, “You’re not injured, right? That’s what I really care about.”

There’s the noise of something sliding, and it struck me as familiar, but I couldn’t tell from where. Vivi crossed her arms. “Arthur,” she said sternly, “I’m gonna have to come in. Don’t be alarmed.”

There’s that sliding sound again. What is that?

I put a hand on Vivi’s shoulder. She tried to protest, but I push the door open quickly. Vivi walks around me. “Lewis, don’t scare-”

The room is empty. We both stand in silence for a little bit, looking at the room. Some things are knocked over on Arthur’s bedside table. Vivi walks inside, examining the mess. “Where did he go?” she asks, both in disbelief and worry.

While she’s looking at the items on the desk, I look out the window. God, it’s dark. I place my hand on the windowsill, then notice something moving under my fingers. Upon closer inspection, the lock on the window is broken.

I slide the window open. It’s the same sound from earlier. I look outside. “He probably got out through the window,” I mention to Vivi, but as I’m looking out into the vast Texan desert, I don’t see him anywhere.

I don’t get a response from Vivi. I turn around, to see if she’s okay. She’s looking at the bedpost. She holds up a finger with a smear of blood on it. For a second, I worry it’s hers, but there’s a little bit more where that came from on the bedpost.

“Something happened here,” she said quietly, examining a few more scarlet drops on the post. They trail down across the floor. There’s one kind of big spot where it accumulates, and a little smear I missed on the window.

“This is really, _really_ bad,” Vivi said. I felt apathetic. “I’m sure he just fell while climbing out of the window,” I said, and as soon as I said it, Vivi practically shoved me out of the way. She looked at the ground, and saw a few drops of red blood in the dry dirt.

“We should go find him,” she said. “Something terrible might have happened!”

“Like what?” I asked, mostly joking but also because to me, this genuinely did just look like he had a minor accident while booking it out of the house. Vivi looked shaken though. “What if he heard us talking about him leaving the mystery skulls?” she asked. “What if he got so shaken up, he’s run off? We don’t know what he might do!”

I noticed his metal arm on the table. “I don’t think he’d do much without that arm,” I said, pointing to it. Vivi picked up the prosthetic. “There’s no reason he should have left this behind,” she said. She turned back to me.

Was she crying? Oh, shit. Now I was legally not allowed to be an asshole. When Vivi starts crying, it becomes serious time. “Okay,” I said, “Well go look for him. He couldn’t have gone far.” I turn back to the window. “If we take the van, we can cover more ground,” I tell her, hoping to console her.

She wipes her eyes, and sniffles. “Yeah, that’s a good idea,” she says. Her voice shakes a little, and she hurries out of the room. I follow her.

Arthur has to make everything about himself, doesn’t he?

* * *

* * *

_I know you fear the dark, little foal, but the night will provide us sufficient cover. Don't fear. I'll protect you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> out of curiosity, where's your favorite place to eat?  
> First to answer wins... um. Something. We'll work the kinks out later.


	3. Vivi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _How lucky for us (and unfortunate for this man) that I don’t regard the law or have morals.._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings???  
> Blood mention  
> Suicidal thoughts mention  
> Alcohol mention  
> Fucking theft lmao

I’m not stupid. I know what’s been happening. For some reason, Lewis blamed Arthur for his death. I know it’s not true, though; no matter how much he says it is. I know Arthur would never hurt anyone.

I don’t remember anything from the cave where Lewis died, but all I’ve heard is something happened to Arthur there, and he lost his arm because of it.

That’s another thing I don’t think Lewis realizes. He’s told me time and time again that ‘Arthur shouldn’t have the emotional level of a child after this’. I want to tell him about Arthur’s diagnosis. About Arthur’s trauma. I want to let him know, so badly, but I just don’t know if it’s okay with Arthur.

Arthur _hates_ talking about his trauma. He hates remembering he didn’t come out of this situation okay. So, I never bring it up. Even if it would make Lewis nicer to him. Even if it might clear up their issues. I won’t tell Lewis unless it’s necessary.

And i’m starting to think it’s seriously necessary.

When we went into Arthur’s room, he wasn’t there, which was an immediate red flag. I heard him making noises in there earlier, so he should have been there, but he wasn’t. Then, when I set my hand on the bedpost, my hand felt something wet, and warm. I picked my hand up.

Blood. There was blood on his bedpost. “He probably got out through the window,” Lewis said from behind me. I picked up a bit of the blood smeared on my finger, and held it up for him to see. He came closer to examine it.

“Something happened here,” I muttered. It was safe to say I was officially concerned. I followed the trail of blood down across the floor, and to the window. Actually, it was safe to say I was on the border of a panic attack at this point.

“This is really bad,” I say to myself. My throat began to close. Lewis didn’t seem phased. “I’m sure he just fell while climbing out of the window,” he dismissed, like it was that easy to consider nothing else happened.

I shoved him out of the way to get to the window. Looking outside, there were a few drops of blood in the dirt. “We should go find him,” I told Lewis, and for a lack of ability to clarify, I added, “Something terrible might have happened!”

“Like what?” Lewis said. I heard the humor in his tone, and felt my heart drop. He wasn’t taking this seriously. “What if he heard us talking about him leaving the mystery skulls?” I proposed. It was pretty obvious he had. “What if he got so shaken up, he ran off? We don’t know what he might do!”

And really, we didn’t. Maybe I would have known what Arthur from a year ago would have done, but since then, he’s become… unpredictable. Lewis wasn’t here to see it after his disappearance. He didn’t witness how bad it was.

It was bad. He never made a habit of drinking, since hangovers made his condition even worse, but on the rare occasions he would get drunk (mostly to calm down his phantom pains, he told me) He’d just sit on his couch and admit the most awful things.

He told me about how his condition affected him. How most days, he didn’t want to get out of bed, because he was disappointed he woke up the next morning. How sometimes, he didn’t want to… _exist._ He said it wasn’t anything big the next day; it wasn’t suicidal ideation, because he never said he wanted to die.

I know it still counts, but I let him have his victory and watched him closely from then on. If he thinks he’s unwanted here, then up and disappears… well, I don’t want to dwell on it.

Lewis obviously isn’t done joking. “I don’t think he’d do much without that arm,” he told me. I followed his gesture to where he was pointing; Arthur’s prosthetic was laying on the bedside table.

I picked it up. “There’s no reason he should have let this behind,” I said to Lewis. Because there really _isn’t_ a reason. Arthur hated being seen without his prosthetic. He didn’t like how people pitied him. Instead, he would turn the topic onto his totally cool arm he built with minimal help.

If he left behind what was currently his most prized possession, I wonder what else he was willing to leave behind.

I couldn’t help it. I felt like I was breaking down. I felt myself crying. I turned back to Lewis, unsure of what to do. His demeanor changed _immediately_. He understands I don’t cry over nothing.

He leaned down so he reached my level. “Okay, we’ll go look for him. He couldn’t have gone far. If we take the van, we can cover more ground.” He was looking through the window, and with his skeleton expression, I couldn’t read his face.

I wiped my eyes, sniffling. We needed to find Arthur, fast. Before he did something regrettable. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” I held on tight to the prosthetic as I left.

We both went out and got into the van. I took mystery with us, too; it might help us to have his nose. I sat at the wheel, prosthetic on my lap. Lewis looked at it with a bit of an uneasy glare. “Why do you have that?” he asked. I looked down at it. “He might want it when we find him,” I say, not wanting to explain that I feel better about all this with a piece of him here.

It also kind of helps to pretend we know for certain we’re going to find him.

Balancing the prosthetic on my lap, I started the van up and we went on our way down the road. First, we drove over to the side of the road, next to Arthur’s window, which felt like a good place to start.

* * *

* * *

_We cannot feel pain. Isn’t it a blessing? Our energy combined wills away all pain._

_Of course, it is very hard to ignore the wet patch on the back of our head, and the trail of red liquid rolling down our neck._

_I am glad it’s back there, and not where we can see it. Red is the world’s worst color. No doubt._

_We have yet to cover it with anything, but I know it’s running down our back. Staining us an ugly vermillion. I know it will be concerning to see, so we have to act quick._

_We will find shelter. We will find first aid. We will find salvation._

_Our legs take us to a little gas station. The sign says it’s the market center. It’s not the only building on the road, but it’s not far from our first location. We can’t stay here, or we’ll be caught. Still, this is where we will find what we need._

_We open the door. A bell rings above us, and startles you. I lose my grip for a second, and your head snaps up. This time, we do feel pain; I haven’t felt pain in so long._

_I hate it._

_It’s work to will the pain away again, because I’ve lost focus. I know you don’t want this yet. You’ll learn to love being us. It’s only a matter of time._

_The man at the counter hasn’t paid us any mind, although we didn’t move. We turn away, and look to the end of the corner store. Our eyes will give us away. I don’t want to lose you again. I won’t let you find yourself in some dusty corner of my world. You’re staying right where you are._

_We head to the back of the store, and we scan a little wall of sunglasses. We need something big. We need something to hide our face._

_We grab a pair of wide, tinted sunglasses. They mirror green and gold back at us. We smile. We take them out of their packaging, and place them on our face. The packaging ends up somewhere. I don’t remember where._

_We approach the man at the counter. We need to fix that little problem “Excuse me,” we say, in our most polite voice. I make it as concordant as I can muster. We’re still new; we’re barely able to speak like a normal person yet. We’ll keep talking to a minimum._

_The cashier looked up at us, and jumped. “Holy shit,” he swore. “You’re… green--”_

_“Body paint,” I rush, quickly, while he’s still talking. I keep my mouth closed tighter. I feel your nervousness. I wish to ease you. I do not like your nervousness._

_“Right,” the cashier says to us. “Well, do you need help with anything?” he asks. We nod, and turn out head to point. He looks at the back of our head, and hisses. “Ah, shit.” He stands up. “That doesn’t look… too bad. Still seems like it hurts, I bet.”_

_“It does,” we mutter quietly, in an attempt to look normal._

_“If you need a first aid kit, we sell them here.” he puts a little bag on the counter, like a pouch._

_That won’t do. I feel your panic rise. I feel my panic rise. They feel one in the same. It makes me happy, for a fleeting moment. Then we return to the task at hand._

_We need that first aid kit._

_I feel our stomach growl._

_Ah, have we eaten today? I don’t think so. I would shame you for not eating, injuring this body. After all, I’ve gone through a lot to get it. I deserve to have it in good condition._

_We float through the aisles, looking for food. The cashier makes a sound of confusion._

_We grab what I feel makes you most satisfied. Perhaps, then, you will eat. 3 bags of the same kind of chips. An energy bar. A cherry ring pop. We return to the counter, and set the food with the first aid kit._

_The man takes the food, and scans it. “$11.42,” he tells us._

_Ah, money. We don’t have that._

_How lucky for us (and unfortunate for this man) that I don’t regard the law or have morals._

_We grab the bag of things, and book it. I can hear the man shouting behind us. Our legs are weak, and we are low on energy, but we’ll get far enough. Perhaps, if we happen to stumble across some money, we won’t have to do this again._  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ???thur is a thieving boy isnt he  
> Also two chapters in one day??? Hot damn


	4. Lewis | Vivi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _As long as they attempt to steal you, they're a threat. The dirty, thieving little brats._
> 
> _Don't they know I own you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic warnings?  
> Mild arthur bashing, not nearly as much as before  
> blood mention as always, but who's surprised?  
> Slim jims :///

We’ve been searching for Arthur for what feels like an hour, and I want to go home. Nobody’s even seen him walking around, so he probably doesn’t  _ want _ to be seen. Part of me thinks we should just let him run loose and do whatever.

Of course, a bigger part of me knows he can be dangerous, and the majority of my brain sets off emergency alarms any time Vivi cries, so i’ll find him. For her sake, and to keep close tabs on him.

Vivi hasn’t given up hope yet (obviously), and she’s still scanning the road sides, but i’ve given up. I’m mostly just reclining in the passenger’s seat. I notice a glowing green sign from the corner of my eye.

I taped Vivi’s shoulder. “Hey, there’s a gas station over there. We’ve been looking for a little while. Why don’t you get a snack or something?”

Vivi looked at me like I was stupid. “Lewis, we’ve only been looking for 10 minutes.”

Oh. Had we? “Vivi, I have problems with linear time, you know that. Ghost perception problems.” I didn’t, but I did feel kind of dumb for not noticing. Vivi shook her head, sighing. “Well… maybe Arthur had the same idea.”

I shrug my shoulders. “Not sure what you mean by that.” She turned into the Market Center parking lot. “Maybe Arthur wanted to grab a snack, too. You know, he hasn’t eaten today yet. He made a sandwich, remember? He was hungry.”

Arthur really hadn’t eaten today? That was probably why he was coming to the kitchen earlier. I sunk in my seat for a second.

We parked the van, and exited. The night was mildly cold, and there were clouds blocking the moon. There were a few other stores around; a repair shop, a craft store, an inn… some stuff like that.

Vivi tapped my shoulder. “Lewis,” she said, “put your face back on.” I nodded, allowing a quick wave of fire to wash over my skull, putting my human facade on again. I slipped a pair of black sunglasses on to cover my ghost eyes.

We stepped into the store, and the guy at the counter hopped up immediately. He looked at us cautiously as we walked. Made me nervous.

She walked through the aisle, towards the back. There was a little freezer with a sliding door, full of single pints of ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, and other assorted frozen treats. She considered it carefully.

“You know what, Lewis? I haven’t had anything to eat since dinner anyway,” she said. She slid the door open and browsed the selection. I laughed to myself. Classic Vivi. 

I let myself look at the shelves, even though I wasn’t getting anything. They had a lot of stuff here, for a little gas station. Chips, mints, butterscotch… Pepto Bismol. Interesting. Someone put a pink sticker with a creepy face on the Pepto Bismol. The pink color was exactly the same. 

I stopped looking, mostly because it had this… unusual energy. (I was NOT creeped out, okay?) “Hey Lewis,” Vivi hollered at me, “Can you get some slim jims?” I held my thumb up over the shelf so she could see. 

She went back to gathering ice cream. I looked for the slim jims, but I couldn’t find them. I hadn’t ever been here before. It took me a few seconds to realize I didn’t see the slim jims because they were covered by a stray piece of cardboard.

I picked up the piece of cardboard. It was light, and torn haphazardly. I looked at the printing on it. It was the packaging for a pair of dual color reflection tinted sunglasses. I almost set it back down, but not before I noticed a smear of blood on the packaging. 

I held on to the packaging, and grabbed some slim jims. I didn’t count how many. I went back to Vivi. She had 5 pints of ice cream, 3 ice cream sandwiches, and an orange sherbert push pop all balanced in her arms. “Hey Lewis,” she said. “You got the slim jims?”

“Yeah,” I affirmed, holding out the torn packaging. “And something else, too.” She looked at the torn packaging. “Someone left their trash in here?” she said. I turned it so she could see the blood smear of the packaging.

She dropped all the ice cream she was holding. “Holy shit,” she said under breath. She grabbed the packaging and examined it. “Lewis, would you be a dear and put the ice cream back in the freezer? Keep a pint of vanilla bean, though.”

I picked up the ice cream, putting it back in the freezer. I held the pint of vanilla bean ice cream close. Vivi ran off to go interrogate the cashier, probably. Once the ice cream was back in the freezer, I walked up to the counter, vanilla bean ice cream and slim jims in my hands.

* * *

As soon as Lewis showed me the blood smear on the packaging, I made my way to the counter (after dropping several pints of ice cream). The guy at the counter looked kind of shaken, and he kept his eyes on me the whole time.

“Hi!” I greeted. “We’re looking for a friend, and we think he passed through here.” I set down the packaging. “Did you see someone who came through and bought these sunglasses?”

The cashier looked at the packaging, and huffed. “No, but this exact pair was on the guy who came through here and stole over ten bucks worth of food.”

That part took me by surprise. “What did he steal?”

The cashier pulled up something on the computer next to the cash register. “3 bags of all dressed ruffles, a Reese’s energy bar, a cherry ring pop, and a travel sized first aid kit.”

“First aid? Was he injured?” I inquire. At this point, Lewis walked up to the cashier and put the food on the counter.

The cashier nodded. “Yeah, the back of his head was bleeding. It didn’t look back, but it was staining his vest.” Lewis leaned forward. “Orange vest?” The cashier nodded. “Yeah. Uh, he had spiky orange hair, a goatee, bushy eyebrows, and two spikes of hair. Is that the guy?”

“That’s the guy,” I said. Lewis held his hand out. “Just to make sure, is there any footage of him we could see, maybe?”

The cashier rubbed his arm nervously. “Man, I just got passively robbed. I’m not sure I want people coming back behind the counter right now.”

I folded my hands together, and leaned forward. “Please?” I pleaded. “We need to find him. He’s just taken off, and we have no idea where he’s going. It’s for his safety.”

Lewis crossed his arms. “Plus, if we can make sure it’s the guy we’re looking for, then we can find him before he gets into any more trouble.” His voice was a little more aggressive. I wanted to chew him out for it, but Arthur might have actually done something illegal, so I guess it’s not entirely in bad taste.

The cashier looks toward the back room. “I don’t know,” he says. I can feel Lewis tugging at my sleeve. “Okay, then. Let’s just buy our stuff and go, Vi.”

I slap $20 down on the counter. “If it’s Arthur, we’ll pay for what he stole.”

The cashier looked at my offer, and sighed. “My manager is gonna kill me if he finds out I let a guy get away without paying…” He took the $20. “Okay. I’ll add your stuff onto his, then once it’s all paid for, we’ll go to the back room to check the cameras and see if it’s your guy.”

I smiled widely at him. “Thank you, sir!” I looked back at Lewis. He smiled back, but I could tell it was forced for me and the man at the counter.

We paid for our food and put it in a bag. I couldn’t help myself, so I had already began eating my ice cream, using the lid as a kind of absurd scoop. The cashier looked at me funny, but he didn’t say anything as he lead us to the back.

He sat down at desk with a few computers lined up. Wires were attached to the wall, and there were some empty cans of mt. dew and monster energy drink on the desk. The cashier sat down at the desk

“Okay,” the cashier said, pulling up the camera footage. “It was about 3 minutes ago, i think. It should be about… now.”

He rewinded the footage to a part where Arthur walked into the store. The camera was in black and white, but I could tell something was off about Arthur’s palette. I couldn’t see his eyes, but they looked dark. 

What really got my attention was the left arm that definitely  _ should not _ be there. Lewis made a noise of confusion. “What the hell?” he said quietly. I shoved him lightly to tell him to be quiet.

Arthur looked up at the doorway, wincing. Vivi could see his eyes were  _ very _ dark from this point -- nearly black. “Speed forward,” she said. The cashier did. He fast forwarded the footage, to the point where Arthur was at the counter, checking things out. The camera was pointed at the back of his head, facing the counter.

His head was definitely bleeding, although not badly. He couldn’t stand totally still, because his arm was twitching, and his legs looked like the were bent more inwards than normal. 

The cashier said something, and it caused Arthur to freeze. The twitching ceases, and his legs straightened out. He has a gentle sway to him. His arm reaches forward, slowly, then jets out to grab the bag and sprints away. 

I lean back. “Okay, that’s the guy,” I confirmed. Lewis turned to me, scowling. “His arm,” he said. “The hell’s with that?”

“What about his arm?” the cashier said. I tugged Lewis away by the sleeve. “Nothing important,” I said, drawing the cashier’s attention away from us (well, attempting to). “We need to leave. Thanks for your help!” I pull Lewis out of the back door. 

“Uh, no problem. Come again!” The cashier shouted as we left. As soon as we were outside, Lewis took off his sunglasses, and dropped his human facade. “God, that takes  _ so much _ energy. I hope I don’t have to be doing that all night,” he said.

I was too shocked to respond. This is a lot bigger and a lot more different than I thought. “Lewis,” I say, “Stay outside. I need to talk to Mystery.”

Lewis crossed his arms. “Okay, i’ll just stay out here in the cold.” I want to mention to him that it’s only 50 degrees out, and he’s a fire elemental. I don’t. Instead, I open the back of the van and head inside.

Mystery sits in the back. ”Eh?” he says. “What’s going on?” I kneel down beside him. He picks his head up sleepily; he must have been napping. “Did you figure out where Arthur went?”

“Mystery, you remember when you told me Arthur lost his arm when he was possessed?”

The sleepiness flushed right out of Mystery’s face. “Yes, I do remember. Why do you mention that?” I looked at the window. “Do you remember anything about that? Like, maybe, what Arthur looked like when it happened?”

“Yes,” Mystery said. “His arm was green, and so was half his face.”

“What about his eyes?”

Mystery swished his tail back and forth. “One of them was black, the other was normal.”

“And, hypothetically, if Arthur were fully possessed, do you think both eyes would be like that?”

Mystery stood up on all fours, looking at me with concern. “Why are we hypothesizing this?” he asked. I shrugged. “Oh, no reason,” I say, “there’s just a black eyed, two armed Arthur on the loose stealing stuff from gas stations.”

Mystery looks alarmed. “What?” he says, rhetorically. “Two arms? This isn’t good…” He looks out the window. “Okay. This is really bad. We need to find him. I’ll get the exorcism supplies ready. 

“Now wait,” I stopped him, “What about Lewis? What do we tell him?” Mystery looked back at me, then out of the window again. I looked with him. Lewis stood outside, and saw us looking. He waved awkwardly.

Mystery sat down on the floor of the van. “He can’t know.”

“Well, surely if you tell him Arthur’s possessed again, he’ll understand the danger? He knows this ghost is bad news.”

Mystery pawed at the floor, eyeing the blankets he pushed nervously. I was confused for a few seconds. Then I understood.

“Mystery, you  _ did _ tell Lewis about the ghost, right?” I ask, memories of Lewis being antagonistic towards Arthur coming to mind.

“I never found the time?” Mystery tried. “Mystery!” I shouted. “That’s, like, the  _ most important information in this scenario, _ how could you not tell him?!”

“I didn’t know how he would react!” Mystery stage whispered back. “And besides, it’s not like he would listen anyway. He’s too busy being a poltergeist to care whether or not Arthur is actually innocent. It’s just… easier to let him be mad at Arthur and promise to stay peaceful than try to feed him information we have no physical proof of on us.”

I clenched my fist. “Oh, yeah? Well, our physical proof is out there. All we have to do is snatch that ghost driving Arthur’s body around back, get him to confess that Arthur is innocent, and then exorcize him. That way, Lewis will forgive Arthur, and we can get rid of that  _ thing _ for good.”

Mystery sighed. “Alright,” he said, “but we need to be careful. We don’t know why that thing killed Lewis, or why it does anything. Which also means we have no idea where it’s going.” Vivi shrugged. “He couldn’t have gone far. All we can hope for is that we either find him on the road, or catch more clues as to where he could be.”

Mystery laid back down on the blankets. “Alright, let’s get Lewis back in the car and get back on the road.” I nodded, reaching back to open the back doors again. “And remember,” Mystery said, grabbing my attention. I turn to face him.

His face is solemn. “No telling Lewis about the ghost.”

I nod.

* * *

* * *

_I know they are looking for us. The night is young, but so is it cold. We need somewhere to keep ourselves tonight._

_We need many things, actually._

_Right now, m_ _oney._

_More food._

_Shelter._

_And a way to get far, far away._

_If they want you this badly, I must keep you far from them._ _As long as they attempt to steal you, they're a threat. The dirty, thieving little brats._

_Don't they know I own you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, out of curiosity, who's your least favorite character, and why? Here's the kicker: you have to choose one of the main 4.


	5. ??? | Lewis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It’s very kind of you to help me. Although, I can’t imagine it would have ended up quite like this._
> 
> _Hiding behind an Inn, eating junk food behind the dumpster._
> 
> _But, what can you do when you’re on the run?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings?  
> Not a whole lot. ??? is a piece of shit again though  
> Also painfully obvious points, brought to you by Lewis Pepper

_It’s very kind of you to help me. Although, I can’t imagine it would have ended up quite like this._

_Hiding behind an Inn, eating junk food behind the dumpster._

_But, what can you do when you’re on the run?_

_I hadn’t realized how hungry we were. Sharing a body with you has on exacerbated it; now, there’s two souls that need just as much energy as each other. I should have stolen more. We’re already down to one bag of chips._

_Before we continue eating, though it’s tempting not to stop, there’s something that needs to be attended to. That wound on the back of our head._

_Every time I mention that, you jump. I know you’re mad at me about that. I didn’t think you would recoil so hard. Do you really hate me that much? No matter. You’re mine now, and that’s all that matters._

_We open the little first aid kit. There’s not much in here, but there is disinfectant, and a large cotton gauze-pad. That should help._

_We struggle to open any of this, since I’ve only shared a body with you for perhaps 20 minutes, and our finer motor skills aren’t as sharp as they could be with practice. We fumble with the little folds of paper on the gauze pad._

_We growl in frustration. I’m not sure i’ve ever been faced with a larger challenge than this in my life. We give up, tearing into the packaging with our teeth. It worked, but we ripped the cotton just slightly, too._

_But really, who cares? First aid is first aid. We open the tiny bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and pour a little onto the gauze pad. I feel you hesitate, although i’m not sure why. Would you not want aid as soon as possible? What could be causing you to tug against my intention like that?_

_Unfortunately, I learn the hard way -- Our head is overcome with a burning pain I was not prepared for. We hiss, and cry out for a moment. That burns… is it supposed to?_

_We try again, more prepared for it, and manage to will the pain into a small, barely noticeable sting, and then into nothing. We hold the gauze there, at the bottom of our head, and it feels slightly better. We need something to keep it there._

_Suddenly a shiver racks our body. It’s cold out. I begin to take on the difficult task of pulling down our sleeves while our hands are still occupied with holding the gauze pad. It’s not entirely too difficult, though it does take a bit of work._

_Still, we’re cold. Cold, huddled behind a dumpster in the shadows, with half a bag of chips, a Reese’s energy bar, and a ring pop._

_What a night!_

_Our arms are getting tired from holding the cotton to our head. We leaned against the dumpster to hold it there. We can’t stay stagnant like this, or we’ll be found. We need to find a way to leave this desert town dump._

_“Hey, you okay?”_

_We looked up to see a brunette woman staring back at us. She’s wearing a lovely green scarf. She must not be able to see us right in the dark. We straighten our sunglasses anyway._

_“Are you, like… homeless? Or do you just crash here?” She extended a hand for us to grab. We didn’t take it. Not yet. Our eyes haven’t left that lovely striped green scarf._

_‘That might keep us warm’, I think to ourselves, ‘and help us hold the cotton in place, as well.’ I feel your hesitance. I understand. She’s a nice lady. But that’s a very nice, very function, very well colored scarf._

_We press our arm back on the cotton pad as we lift our head, and accept her hand. She pulls us up. Now, we’re illuminated in a street light, and she jumps back at our green complexion. I reach forward and pull off her scarf._

_As soon as it’s off, she’s backing away from us. We tie the scarf around our neck, holding the gauze in place, and covering part of our face._

_“Hey!” She shouts, coming towards us again, and we hiss, shove her away, grab our food, and break into another sprint. We’ve got to stop doing this when not properly fed._

_We run and run until we seemed to have lost her. In the distance, We notice a familiar pair of headlights lit up. Peering back, there’s an orange van parked in the market center lot._

_I knew it. They’ve come for us. I feel our heart instinctively leap when you see it. I don’t allow us to look any longer. The way you worship them is sickening._

_We go right back to sprinting. If we’re quick, they won’t notice us, and we’ll get to the main area of town before they can track us down._

* * *

* * *

I’m not stupid. I know what’s going on. Vivi and Mystery think they can hide it from me, but they’re wrong.

Arthur’s been possessed. Hoorah.

Either this thing is gonna do some real damage and get away with it, or it’s gonna get itself arrested while still _in Arthur_.

And if you asked me for a list of people who could probably handle being in prison, Arthur wouldn’t even be on the list. Not that I care if he gets arrested.

Well, I kind of do. It would be different if he was doing this because he was an asshole, but he’s not doing this because he’s an asshole. He is an asshole, though. Don’t let me forget to mention that. He’s just not doing it because of that.

He’s doing it because he’s possessed, and somehow, I think that’s actually making me feel bad for him. Can you imagine? Doing crimes you don’t want to do (at least, I hope he doesn’t want to do all that, but I know murder isn’t past him), and still taking the shit?

Sounds like a nightmare.

I’m standing outside of the van, and I hear Vivi shouting at Mystery. What the _hell_ is going on in there? It doesn’t last too long before I see them peeking out of the window. Oh, they’re looking at me.

I wave, trying to tell them _no funny business here,_ and they seem satisfied. They sink back down and continue discussing. I can’t help but feel like they’re talking about me.

Only a few moments later, Vivi comes out of the van. “Okay,” she says, “So, Arthur is possessed,” she says, running it by me.

“Yeah, I know,” I said. “You don’t just get ghost eyes like these anywhere.” I point to my own eye sockets. Vivi nodded. “Yep, so Arthur’s running around with two arms and ghost peepers, and we need to get him back before he keeps causing trouble.

I shrugged, trying to stay positive. “Well, maybe this demon thing won’t do anything else?” Vivi crossed her arms. “Well, we can always hope so.”

“Help!” someone cried, and I panicked internally, throwing my human facade and sunglasses back on quick. I couldn’t fucking see in these.

“Help,” shouths a brunette woman, running towards us. “Help! I saw something! Behind the Inn!”

Vivi ran up to her. They were similar in height. “What did you see?”

“You’re paranormal investigators, right?” She asked, pointing to the truck. I nod. “Yes, we are. Why do you ask?” She stops to take a breath, and Vivi looks back at me, worry plastered on her face.

The brunette woman continues. “I saw a demon or- or something behind the inn! It had green skin!”

“Spiky hair?” I asked, and Vivi continued with “Tinted sunglasses?”

“Yes, yes, all that! And an orange vest, a-and it’s sleeves were all romed down like _this,_ ” she demonstrated, rolling her sweater sleeves down so they partially covered her hands. “And he stole my scarf!”

“So much for hoping, eh vi?” I say. She elbows me. “What did he do _exactly?”_ she said, trying to sound as professional as possible.

“I saw him squatting behind the inn by the trash, messing with a first aid kit, and I thought he was hurt,” the woman explained. “So I went to help him up, and he was kind of shy at first, but as soon as I helped him up, he reached over and grabbed my scarf right off of my neck!”

“What’s your name?” Vivi asks, although I don’t know why. The brunette holds her hands together. “My name is Belle,” she says quietly. “Belle,” Vivi continues, “What happened after he stole your scarf?”

“He put it on,” Belle motioned towards her neck, “and when I yelled at him, he _hissed_ at me, shoved me, and ran away! His glasses fell down on his nose, and his eyes were all black with green irises! Oh, it was _awful_ to look at!”

“That sounds like our guy,” I said, stepping forward. “Which way did he run?”

Belle pointed down the street towards were we were originally headed. “That way,” she said, voice shaky. “He runs really fast, and leaps when he does it. Like an animal! I couldn’t catch up with him.”

“Well,” Vivi said, “That’s why we’ve got a van.” She held onto Belle’s shaking hands. “Thank you for helping us, ma’am. Once we find him and get him under control, we’ll give you back your scarf.”

“Oh, thank you miss! Thank you so much! Good luck!” she says. Vivi nods. “Have a nice night, Belle! Sorry about the inconvenience!” Belle walks away, waving.

I get into the driver’s seat. “Hey,” Vivi says, “What are you doing?”

“Driving,” I tell her curtly. “Get in shotgun; we’ve got a demon to catch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I ran a few surveys before and after hellbent came out. On each of them it asks for your favorite character and least favorite character.  
> Before hellbent, the main 4 shared the spaces pretty evenly, but Vivi dominated the favorite section, and Arthur and Mystery tied for least favorite.  
> After hellbent?  
> Arthur had well near a half of the votes for favorite, and Vivi and Mystery are almost tying for least favorite.  
> In fact, Arthur and Lewis both only got 11.5% of the least favorite votes, last time I checked.  
> So there's your fact for the day! Hellbent makes u love Arthur


	6. Mystery | Lewis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That’s perfectly fine, though. I’m sure Vivi and Lewis can handle this on their own.
> 
> I hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, chapter warnings:  
> Vivi is sad  
> Lewis is mad  
> Mystery's bad

These two don’t know what they’re getting into.

Vivi probably doesn’t know, even though I’ve told her, and Lewis  _ definitely _ doesn’t know, because he still thinks this is a new ghost.

Some nights, I wonder whether it would be beneficial to tell Lewis. It’s been so long since the event, surely he’d shame me for not telling him sooner. I’m not entirely sure he would believe me, anyway.

If you asked me what Lewis’ favorite pass time would be after the cave, it would have to be hating Arthur and denying all evidence of his innocence. 

Am I hurting Lewis by withholding information? Probably. Am I hurting Arthur? Most likely. But am I a coward when it comes to confrontation? Absolutely. 

Besides, I always thought  _ Vivi  _ would tell Lewis. If anyone could get Lewis to believe something, then it’s her. But I guess she always thought I would tell Lewis, and never did.

This team is awful at intercommunication. 

I hop up to lean on the front seats as Lewis and Vivi get back into the car. “Mystery, sit back down,” Lewis warns. “I’m about to full gas this thing, everyone, so buckle the  _ fuck _ up.

I get down on the blankets, and I hear the clicks of seatbelts. “Lewis,” Vivi says, “Just don’t go above the speed-”

The car jets backwards. “Limit!” Vivi cried with surprise. We slow down slightly as we turn, then rush forward again with a bit of a swerve in the beginning. As we’re driving, I look out the window. 

The inn and the other shops disappear behind us as we rush forward. I’m left to tumble around helplessly in the back. “Lewis,” I shout from behind his seat, “I don’t even  _ have _ a seatbelt back here! Can you slow down just a little?!”

I guess it worked, because I slump forward with the force at which he slowed town. I can hear him grumbling to himself as we drive at a much safer pace.

“He couldn’t have gone far. Belle came to look for our help as soon as he stole her scarf, which means he’s got to be around here still,” Vivi reminds us.

Lewis snaps a little. “I know that, Vivi!” he shouts. I watch Vivi recoil. “Sorry,” Lewis says, trying to get himself under control. His hair is flaring up a little. “This whole situation is stressing me out.”

Vivi puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, and it looks as if his anxieties immediately begin to cool down. “It’s okay,” she says. “We’re all under strain about this situation. We’ll find Arthur, make sure he’s okay, and make sure this all never happens again, okay?”

“Okay,” Lewis said, nodding to himself. I lay down in the back, but I allow myself to keep tabs on their conversation.

“Why did Arthur even get possessed, anyway?” Lewis said. “It’s like the ghost sought us out this time.  _ We’re  _ supposed to be the hunters, not  _ them.” _

Vivi sighed. “I don’t know.” The air is quiet for a little. She continues. “Ask mystery,” she said, totally selling me out, “he might know.”

Luckily, Lewis is dumber than a bag of hammers as a Ghost, and I thank the universe for it. “Why? He’s just a dog. What’s he know about ghosts that  _ we _ don’t?”

“Well, a lot,” Vivi says, stressing her words. “He’s part of this team, too. If he doesn’t know, then none of us do, and that doesn’t help anyone.”

Lewis sighs. “Mystery,” he calls without turning his head, “What do you know about all this?”

Well, fuck the universe then, I guess. It really just hates me today. “Lewis,” I say, getting up to lean on the back of the seat. “I don’t really  _ know _ much,” I lie. I look up at the rear view mirror, and Vivi is glaring daggers at me.

God, she can be scary sometimes.

“Well, there you have it-” Lewis begins, and I cut him off.

“-But, uh… I do recognize this ghost. I don’t know… why it wants Arthur,” I say, which isn’t technically a lie. “But I’ve seen this ghost before, and I know it knows us.”

“Knows us?” Lewis says, turning to look at me for a second before setting his eyes on the road again. “What do you mean, knows us? I don’t know it.”

I sigh. Lewis probably knows it better than any one of us, and if I tell him, the search might get a little violent. “Well, I know it, and it knows Arthur. So it basically knows us.”

Lewis looks back at the road. “Right. Thanks for the input, mystery. At least we know this isn’t our first rodeo with this guy.”

“Which means he knows what we’re capable of,” Vivi says quietly. I exhale. That means I probably won’t be able to get near him. 

That’s perfectly fine, though. I’m sure Vivi and Lewis can handle this on their own.

I hope.

* * *

Vivi and Mystery are definitely acting weird. Part of me thinks they know something I don’t. Of course, if they did, why wouldn’t they tell me? I’m the leader of the team.

Still, I continue to drive down the road. I don’t see Arthur anywhere, which is weird, since he should be wearing bright orange and green clothing. He should be a beacon of color in the desert night, but he’s not.

We stick close to smaller business like stores, and inns, since that’s where we’ve seen him. It’s too early to figure out if there’s any pattern to what’s driving the ghost, but personally, I think it doesn’t  _ have _ a pattern.

It’s just running amuck, acting wild, with no rhyme or reason to any of it. Why would a ghost follow any line of logic? Why would a ghost who came into a ghost hunter’s shop and possessed one of their members have any common sense? Final answer; it doesn’t. I wager all my points in the final jeopardy, this thing is just a dog without a horse.

Of course, that means it’s gonna be a lot harder to find this guy. No pattern means he’s unpredictable, and my guess is as good as Vivi’s, or Mystery’s. 

So right now, i’m scanning the roads, looking for Arthur anywhere he would be if he were normal, and not possessed. Restaurants, mostly. Restaurants and comic shops. We know this thing has a sway on Arthur, but we don’t know how much of a sway Arthur has on it.

That would be just like Arthur, wouldn’t it? Convincing a ghost to get a little snack. Saying, “Hey, mr. ghost man? Can we go check out that issue of  _ Spiderman, _ there in the window? I haven’t seen it yet, it looks really good!”

He used to have that certain charisma to him. That’s why we made him ghost bait, most of the time. He was good at talking himself out of dangerous situations when he’s not running for his life.

He’s not really like that anymore, though. Now, he’s all run. All run and scream, with no smoothness. I wonder where it all went. I mean, I know he’s a coward, but there shouldn’t be anything that’s making him more cowardly than usual.

Right?

I want to ask Vivi so badly, but i’m worried she’ll take it the wrong way.  _ ‘Hey, vivi! Why’s Arthur such a goddamn pussy all of a sudden?’ _ I laugh to myself, because that sounded way funnier in my head than I thought it’d be.

“What are you laughing about, Lew?” Vivi asked, head balanced on her hand as she leans against the door of the van.

“Ah, nothing,” I say, lying. “I just… think it’s funny.”

“Think what’s funny?”

“Well, I mean, it’s not  _ that _ funny… But it’s kind of ironic. Arthur’s usually on the run  _ from _ ghosts, not  _ with _ them.”

Vivi sits up. “Well, if you think about it,” she says, “He’s on the run  _ from _ one, too.” She points to me, grinning a little. I want to grin back. 

I keep my eyes on the road. “It seems like that’s Arthur’s go to thing nowadays. To run.”

Vivi looks away from me. “I’m not sure what you mean by that,” she says quietly. “Well,” I continue, “he was a skittish guy before all… you know,” I say. She nods in understanding. “And somehow, he’s gotten even easier to scare. You know, he used to have at least  _ some _ confidence about him, and I admired that. Now, though? He just runs.”

“He only ever runs,” Vivi repeats, mindlessly. I almost think she’s about to fall asleep, so I look over to make sure she isn’t, but she’s looking straight ahead. She’s slumped over in her seat, staring sadly at her hands, which she has folded neatly in her lap. The sight makes me want to scream.

“Do you know… why that is?”

She snaps her head up. “Why what is?”

“Why he’s gotten more anxious all of a sudden.”

Vivi looks away from me, quickly. So quickly her hair swings around as she turns. So quickly her hairband almost falls out. So quickly it’s suspicious. “No,” she says, and that’s all.

I leave her be. She obviously knows something, but I doubt she wants to talk about it. Sometimes, when Vivi thinks a topic is uncomfortable, you can’t get her to talk about it unless she really wants to.

So I leave it be.

* * *

* * *

_ Money. Money talks. Money makes magic things happen. And we don’t have any of it. _

_ Would it have been smart to stop for his wallet before we left the mechanic shop? And risk getting caught? And save our ass later? I still haven’t decided.  _

_ Let’s try having money out for a change. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have a pretty complicated writing schedule:  
> I only ever write when i'm in school. Cool, right? Because 3 out of 4 classes allow me to have a computer out, and i'm real smart, so I finish my work early to get time to write.  
> Thing is, we're probably about to get a ton of snow, and I won't be able to update this thing.  
> So, i'll try to aim for 3 chapters today to make up for it, but I can't promise anything  
> Welcome to the calm before the storm lol


	7. ??? | Lewis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Money makes the world go around. Isn’t that what they say?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings? Not really  
> we talk abt mental illness 4 a sec, we grace it with our pinky toe  
> Also, smoaking!!! As always because I can't let go of Helios' smoking arthur headcanon, you can pry it from my COLD CLAMMY DEAD CORPSE FINGERS

_ We find ourself in town just as we hear the roaring on an engine in the distance. The mystery skulls are catching up to us. I want to scoff at your delight.  _

_ You need to relearn a few things.  _

_ But the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and in this case, what we, the many, need is money. We can’t get around without it. We can’t get food without it. We can’t get a bus ticket out of this stupid town without it. _

_ Money makes the world go around. Isn’t that what they say? _

_ So we’re here in this crowded town plaza. I say crowded subjectively. Really, there’s only a few people here at the moment. I wonder how much they each have on them. _

_ We stay in the shadows, planning how to go about this. We need to distract them before we do anything. _

_ We’ll practice with a man nearby, sitting on a bench, having a smoke. He doesn’t look like he has any money, but it couldn’t hurt to try. I find there’s a pack of cigarettes in our vest. Someone is stressed, huh? _

_ You know that’s no good for you. Your lungs were healthy the first time I had you. I wonder when you started. _

_ We walk towards the man, cigarette in hand. After we approach, we sit down next to him. He doesn’t look up. We lift the cigarette. “Hey, got a light?” _

_ The man looks up for a moment, not really taking in our skin. He must have seen some shit, huh? He digs around in his pocket for a lighter, and it falls on the floor. “Ah, shit,” he mumbles. He leans down to get it, and we spot it. An old leather wallet. Perfect. _

_ Our hand reached out to grab it, and we pull it out and stuff it in our vest pocket just as he’s leaning back up. He lights his lighter, and covers it with his hand so the wind doesn’t blow it out. We light our cigarette. _

_ “Thanks,” we say, getting up and going on our way. “No problem,” he mutters back. We take a drag. What a gentleman, wouldn’t you say? Letting us take his wallet, and lighting our cigarette right after. _

_ We return to the shadows to count our prize. With one hand, we hold onto the cigarette, and the other, take out the wallet. There’s 50 bucks in cash, and a driver’s license. We don’t need the license, so we toss it on the floor, and keep the wallet. _

_ Out of the corner of our eye, we spot a woman with blonde hair, done up in a ponytail. She has fuzzy white earmuffs, and a white jacket. Glasses sit on her thin nose. The image of luxury. _

_ She’s got to have good cash on her. The only problem is, it’s probably in her purse. This is gonna take some work. We start our steady stride towards her, cigarette in hand. She takes out her phone, typing. Perfect. _

_ We bump right into her, and she lets out a short yelp, falling over. “Oh,” I start, mustering a steady voice, and it works. “Oh, i’m so sorry, ma’am! I didn’t see you there,” I said. She’s rubbing her elbow, and checking to make sure her phone isn’t broken. _

_ “I’m sorry about that, here, let me help!” If your voice weren’t so wimpy and polite, she might have turned us down, but she didn’t say anything as she examined her phone. I spot her wallet, a light pink, and we open it while she’s distracted.  _

_ She must be loaded. We grab 5 ben franklins and shut it, quickly. We shove her wallet, keys, mints, receipts, spare change, and… blue nail polish… into her purse, and hand it back to her, wads of cash already shoved into our vest.  _

_ She takes the purse, and smiles. “Thank you,” she says, :But be careful next time!” The next part is graced with a laugh. “I will. Have a nice night!” We both get up and walk our separate ways. _

_ If I knew stealing people’s money was this easy, we would have done it to begin with. I don’t know how much a bus ticket is, but i’m sure $550 will cover it. In the meantime, we can get ourselves some better food. _

_ We start our journey to the nearest fast food restaurant. I don’t care about healthy; We need lots of food with lots of calories, real fast, real cheap. _

* * *

* * *

We’ve gotten out of the van so we can search the town on foot. I parked it in some auto lot and told the guy we were looking for someone, and that it couldn’t move from that spot. He promised us we’d be fine. 

Vivi made me park it and check by foot because apparently, this ghost likes to lurk behind buildings and in alleys -- mostly places our big bulky van can’t reach. We walked into the town plaza, and Vivi went asking around. 

Meanwhile, I was checking all the alleys and such. I wasn’t finding anything of substance, and there was no ghost or Arthur to be seen.

I leaned against a wall in the dark. What was the point in searching? He got into town. He could be literally anywhere by now. My foot scraped against something on the floor.

What’s this? I picked up a drivers license.  _ Svet Falkenberg. _ I recognize this face. I look across the plaza to a guy who’s sitting on the park bench, having a smoke. I look at his driver’s license again. What is it doing all the way over here?

I stuff the driver’s license in my pocket, and walk over to the man on the bench. “Excuse me,” I say. The man looks up at me. He exhales smoke in my direction.

I hold out the driver’s license. “Svet, right? Svet Falkenberg?” Svet looked at the driver’s license, and nodded, practically yanking it out of my hands. “Yeah, that’s me. How’d ya get this?”

“Found it in an alley,” I said. I could see his suspicion, so I switched it to the next subject. “Have you seen a guy around here with a green scarf, tinted sunglasses, and spiky orange hair?”

Svet considered it for a few seconds, inhaling smoke from his cigarette, and exhaling it from his nose in a sigh. “Yeah,” he said. “I seen him. He asked me to light his cigarette for him.” He dug in his pocket to look for his wallet to put his license back.

That caught my attention. “Where the hell’s my wallet?” the guy mumbled. I ignored him. “You said a cigarette? Like, the one you’re using now?” He looked back up at me, then down at his cigarette. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Same kinda thing. Why, y’ain’t never seen one before?” He smiled slyly. I shook my head. “No, I mean -- I  _ have _ seen one, i’ve just… And he smoked it? Like, smoke went in and came out?”

Svet went back to smoking. “How do you think smokin’ works, ya big oaf?”

He returned to ignoring me, and I started walking away. Arthur? Smoking? No way in hell. He doesn’t smoke. He’s, like…  _ anti-smoking. _ Which means the demon must be making him smoke. I draw the line at that; I pretty much promised Arthur i’d kill him, and i’m not letting cancer do it first.

It takes a bit of time, but I see Vivi talking to some blonde girl in a fluffy white coat. “Vivi,” I said, “Come here.” She looked towards me, and started saying her goodbyes to the girl. She walked over to me. “Lewis! There you are! I found out that Arthur’s been around here, and he went-” she pointed to a street. “-that way. Come on!”

“Did you know the demon thing is  _ smoking? _ Like, in Arthur’s body? Smoking?” I say, incredulously, because I really can’t believe it. Vivi inhales, and stays quiet instead of responding right away. “What’s weird about that?”

“Arthur doesn’t smoke,” I say. Vivi tilted her head. “Yes he does. I thought you knew?”

“Arthur smokes?” I ask. “What, since when?” Vivi shrugged. “Since a few months ago. Now, come on. We need to get in the van! Maybe, we can cut him off before we lose track of him again!”

I follow Vivi to the van, but I’m still kind of in shock. I’ve never physically seen Arthur smoke before. I didn’t even know he had cigarettes on him. 

We got back into the car, and this time, Vivi decided to drive. I sat quietly for the majority of the ride. “So,” Vivi said, no doubt trying to get me to say something, “Where do you think he’s gonna go?”

I didn’t respond. She sighed. “C’mon, Lewis. What’s eating you?”

I tapped my leg. “Why does Arthur smoke? I thought he hated smoking.” Vivi looked at the road with intent. “Stress,” she said, and nothing else. We sat in silence for a few seconds. The air was thick between us. 

“Post Traumatic Stress,” she clarified. I looked at her. She looked at the road sadly. “All this has… been a lot bearing down on Arthur’s shoulders. It’s no surprise he does what he has to to get by, even if it worries me and Lance.”

Post traumatic stress? It makes sense. Don’t a lot of amputees have that? PTSD? I didn’t ever think of that. 

I guess I don’t think about Arthur’s side of things a lot. I just kind of hate him.

I feel myself descending, sinking further into my seat.

“What info do you have on the case?” She said. It’s weird how she considered this a case, considering what the context was. “Yeah,” I said. “Svet, the guy I talked to, had his driver’s license all the way in the alley. Only guy he’s interacted with in a while was Arthur, and I don’t think he’s left his spot. Plus, he said he couldn’t find his wallet.”

“Pickpocketing?” Vivi asked rhetorically. “I wouldn’t put it past this ghost. The girl I talked to mentioned she was a few hundred dollars short, too.”

“If he’s looking for money,” I mention, “He might be looking for something worth buying. He might still be hungry,” I added on. Vivi looked at me, and smiled. “Good thinking, Lewis! Any more quick thinking?”

“Not on my end,” I say. “What have you got?”

Vivi put a hand on her chin. “He’s not staying in one place for very long, so he’s probably going somewhere with quick service instead of a place to dine in.”

“That sounds like it make perfect sense. Lead the way, Vi.” Vivi was smart like that. It almost made me swoon. I missed this. Being smart, the two of us. Together. It felt ethereal.

I love mysteries. I love Vivi. I love this team. 

I look ahead at the road. Like it or not, Hate him or not, Arthur  _ is _ a part of this team. Vivi would undoubtedly be too sad to do anything if we didn’t get him back.

So, for the time being, i’ll put my anger towards Arthur aside to get him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, because I need an idea, gimme a fast food restaurant. Where's lil baby ???thur gonna go?   
> DCR, back at it again, making his readers write his stories for him lol


	8. ??? | Vivi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _These kids were starting to fucking annoy us._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asdfghjkl yum yum boys  
> The minor ocs in this character are DEFINITELY not based off of people I know in real life and the green haired girl DEFINITELY isn't my mega friend-crush, shut up

_ We approached the glowing sign of the McDonalds. We felt a little pang of hunger just looking at the yellow arches.  _

_ We reached into out vest jacket for our wallet. Checking the money carefully, we counted our budget, before walking inside cooly.  _

_ It wasn’t very busy. There was a couple in the back, drinking milkshakes and laughing over a large fry. An older woman was ordering a meal far too large for herself. Perhaps, her family. A group of high schoolers sat at a long table, talking amongst themselves, making most of the noise. _

_ While we waited for the woman to finish her order, we scanned the menu. Something caught your eye; a Filet O’ Fish. We kept looking just in case.  _

_ Folding our sleeves down, wrapping our scarf around our face, we prayed the cashier might not notice our skin. Prayed that at least, in favor of getting paid minimum wage, she might choose not to mention it, or react. _

_ We walk up to the counter. “Welcome to McDonalds,” the girl at the cash register says, “What would you like?” _

_ “A Filet O’ Fish, a medium fry, and a large soda.” The cashier punches some numbers into the cash register, and turned back to us with a smile. “Alright, sir, your order will be ready soon.” _

_ We nodded, and went to sit in one of the booths by the window. From this angle, we could see the parking lot. We waited for our food for a few minutes, and while we did, I noticed the group of teens, which were now to our left, was bickering and laughing to each other.  _

_ “Filet O’ Fish, fry, and soda!” Called the cashier. We looked up, and stood. Walking to the counter, we eyed the food hungrily. We picked up the tray and walked to our seat, then left to fill the soda cup. _

_ After a long time hassling with the soda machine, We returned to our seat to eat our food. As we picked up the Filet’ O Fish, we paused. The group of teens continued to laugh to themselves. How annoying. _

_ As soon as we took a bite, I knew why you felt so strongly about this one. The sandwich was gone within a few minutes. The fries didn’t last very long either. Even after our meal, it felt like we hadn’t eaten in centuries. We were famished. _

_ Maybe that’s because  _ **_I_ ** _ hadn’t eaten in centuries. I missed being able to eat. Food has gotten so weirdly addictive in the past few years. If there’s anything humanity has done right during my absence, it’s food. _

_ When we’re done with our food, we look at the teenagers. They’ve become more hushed, whispering and hissing words. We don’t catch many of their words, but we can hear some back and forth about a dare.  _

_ We decide to ignore it, in favor of returning to the counter. We refill our soda, then wait for the cashier to come back to her cash register. _

_ When she does, she smiles at us. I can tell it’s fake, but neither of us feel hurt. “Hello again, sir. How may I help you?” _

_ We place our order for 30 more Filet O’ Fish, and she looks at us like we just asked her to hand over the mona lisa. She smiles to herself in silent amusement. “Did you say 13?” _

_ “No,” we correct her, “30.” _

_ She shakes her head to herself in disbelief. “Okay, sir. Coming right up. It may take a few minutes, so we’ll call you up when it’s done.” _

_ We return to our seat, and sit quietly. The teens have almost completely silenced. We take it as a blessing (their chattering was getting annoying), but after maybe 5 minutes, it began getting eerie. We look up. _

_ All 6 of them are staring at us. Only now do we get a good look at them. Mostly boys, one taller than the others by a lot, and two others shorter by a little. Mixed skin colors, and all their hair dyed either blonde or vibrant warm colors. we notice the one girl there, the one with large black gauges in her ears, has vibrant green hair. _

_ we smile to ourself, hidden beneath the scarf.  _

_ That’s when we notice one of the boys (short, blonde hair) has his phone out, and we can’t tell if it’s pointed at us when it happens, but it flashes, and causes us to flinch. Some of the teens laugh to themselves.  _

_ “30 Filet’ O’ Fish?” The cashier calls uncertainly from the counter, as if she can barely believe we ordered that much. The teens look at each other in confusion. We stand up, and walk to the counter. We can hear them laughing to themselves behind me. _

_ There are two large bags on the counter. “Here you go, Sir,” she says. “That will be $114.20.” We take out 2 $100 dollar bills, putting them on the counter. She counts up the money, giving us our $85 dollars of change. we grab the bags, and our soda (with some effort), and sit back down. _

_ When we sit down, a murmur of ‘holy shit’s and ‘what the fuck’s and other creative exclamations washes over the group of teens. We hear a boy mumble to another, “are you seeing this shit?” _

_ We ignore them, letting them have their fun while they push each other into hysteria over us. It’s almost flattering, I know you feel anxious about it, though. Maybe you’re right. We wouldn’t want them causing a fuss over our presence. _

_ After about 8 sandwiches, We heard a small chime. We looked at the door, almost worried it was the door opening, but nobody new was at the door. A silhouette blocked the fluorescent white lights of the restaurant. We looked up. _

_ It was the tall boy from the group. His hair was vibrant orange, like a traffic cone. “Enjoying your meal?” He said, laughing to himself. _

_ We squinted at him, refusing to answer. We took another big bite of the Filet’ O Fish, and glared, although he probably couldn’t see it from under our sunglasses. He continued to attempt social interaction. _

_ “That’s a fuckton of sandwiches, my guy.” He picked up one of the sandwiches, examining it. We had to hold ourselves back from snatching it away from him. “You must be hungry as shit, yea?” _

_ “Yeah,” we muttered back. We shoved the rest of the Filet O’ Fish into our mouth. That makes 9. “Can I have that?” I asked, pointing to the sandwich in his hand.  _

_ “Hey, you got 29 more, don’t ya?” He joked, looking back at his friends. They all giggled. I felt the need to jump this guy and take our sandwich back with force, but when he looked back, We noticed the short blonde boy from before, as well as a kid with bright red hair (how hideous), filming on their phones. _

_ And we wouldn’t want any crimes to get caught on camera, would we?  _

_ So we sit up straight and grin at him. “Depends, are you gonna pay for it?” The guy looked back at his friends, and they laughed amongst themselves. “C’mon, Dathan, are you gonna pay the guy or what?” The green haired girl responded, smirking. _

_ He groaned, and dropped the sandwich on the table. We took it back quickly. _

_ “What’s with his skin?” Said a guy with bright pink hair. We pulled out scarf up. The orange haired boy smirked, pulling it back down. “Yeah, you got a condition or some shit?” _

_ “Yeah, asshole,” We reply. “It’s contagious. You wouldn’t wanna get too close, or you’ll turn yellow.” _

_ The guy backed up a little bit. “Oh, we’ve got a jokester over here, huh?” He just kept talking. God, i’d do anything to get him to shut his fucking trap. If he didn’t lay off soon, We’d push him down to the ground and choke him, even if it gets on film.  _

_ These kids were starting to fucking annoy us. _

_ Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spot it. An orange van approaching. It never turns it’s headlights towards the window. I grab my bags, and my soda, leaving a few Filet O’ Fish wrappers on the ground, and get away from the window. _

_ “Woah, where the hell are you going?” Calls the orange haired guy. “We was just beginning to have fun-” _

_ I take my sunglasses off, staring him in the eye. That shuts him up pretty quickly. Luckily, I was facing away from the phone cameras. “I was never here. Got it? I was never fucking here.”  _

_ He nods quickly, and I put my sunglasses back on. I rush out of the door on the opposite side of the store, and run for cover. _

* * *

* * *

“We checked a Wendy’s, a Subway, and an In-N-Out burger, so the only local restaurant he could end up at is the McDonalds down the road,” Lewis says. I nod as I drive. “Let’s hope he even went to a restaurant.”

“He probably did,” he adds. “Why else would he steal that much money?” I shrug. “Maybe he wants something else. Something like… jewelry?” That makes Lewis laugh. “Yeah, okay, Vi. Could you imagine that?”

“Hi, welcome to Kay’s Jewelers,” I say, putting on my best store manager voice. I laugh a little. “Oh, uh,” Lewis blusters, putting on a funny voice. “Yeah, can I get some bling?” I giggle out loud at that. “Okay, yeah, that’s ridiculous,” I say.

Sometimes, it’s good to try and stay light hearted in a grim situation. We pull up into the driveway of the McDonalds. I take the keys out of the ignition, and the van’s quiet hum dies quickly. The headlights shut off. 

I take a pair of sunglasses off the dashboard, and hand them to Lewis. He takes them, mumbling a quiet and tired “Thanks.” A flash of fire erupts from his collar, and he looks mostly human. Setting the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, he turns back to me. 

“So, wait,” he says as my hand is already on the door handle. I turn back to him. “What if nobody’s seen him around here?” He asks. “What’s the plan after that?”

I didn’t think of a plan after this. I just assumed he’d be out for food. “We’ll ask around the town. Go back to square one. Maybe we can have Mystery sniff him out.”

Lewis exhales. “Alright,” he said. “Sounds good.” We both got out of the van, and walked into the shop. We took a little look around. I began walking up to the cashier, but Lewis grabbed my arm. “Vivi,” she said, “Check this out.”

I turn to see what he’s pointing at. There’s several yellow wrappers on the floor; it looks like 9 of them. There’s crumbs everywhere, and a receipt on the table of the booth. I pick it up and examine it.

“$114.20,” I mutter. “Damn,” Lewis says. “For what?” I turn back to him. “No less than 30 Filets O’ Fish,” I call back. “Arthur’s favorite.”

“Jesus Christ,” Lewis mutters. He picks up a wrapper that rustled against his foot. “Yeah, this is probably our guy.”

“Were y’all looking for that green dude?”

I look up. A girl with green hair and piercings looks at us from the little bar-like table with the stools. Lewis turns around. “Green dude?” He says. “Yeah,” I say. “Sunglasses? Scarf?”

The green haired girl snatches a phone away from a guy with bright red hair. “Hey!” He shouts. She unlocks it, and messes with it for a second. “Only if it’s this guy,” she says, pushing the phone in our direction.

We both crowd around to look. The recording shows the tall kid with bright hazard-orange hair bothering Arthur. He’s got a scarf pulled up to his face, and two big bags. The orange haired kid pulls the scarf down off of his face, and continues to bother him.

At one point in the video, Arthur turns around. He looks at the van, pulling into the parking lot, and grabs his things, rushing to get up. “He was here recently,” Lewis murmurs to me. I hum. Arthur gets in the Orange haired dudes face. 

He pulls down his sunglasses, but I couldn’t see his face due to the phone being pointed at his back. “I was never here. Got it?” He said. His voice sounded discordant, like it was two different voices layered on top of one another. “I was never fucking here.” He rushes out of the opposite door.

“And he’s avoiding us,” I said. The green haired girl pulls the phone away. I look at the whole group. “You all need to delete those videos. This never happened.”

A short, bleach-blonde kid steps forward, pulling on his jacket. “Are y’all, like.. Men in Black? Was that an alien?” I roll my eyes. “Do we  _ look _ like men in black?”

The pink haired kid points to Lewis. “He does,” he says. Lewis looks at the kid, and I take a moment to realize how much he really  _ does _ look like a secret agent, with his sunglasses and black suit.

“Nice hair,” Lewis complimented the kid. The kid reaches a hand up to mess with the pink locks. “Thanks. Not bad yourself.”

I grab Lewis’ sleeve. “We have to go get him. You know how fast this thing can move.” He looks back at me. “Shit, right. Sorry.” He turns to the group of kids. “Really, though. Delete those videos. This guy is gonna be super embarrassed.”

“Was he drunk or something?” The green girl asks. The red haired boy scoffed. “What kind of liquor makes your skin turn green, Olivia?” 

We rush towards the door we came from, but Lewis stops when I reach the door. “Wait,” he says, and goes back to the booth. He begins to pick up wrappers. “Lewis!” I hiss. “This isn’t the time to clean up after Arthur.”

“No,” he says. “You’ll see what i’m doing when we get back to the van.”

He doesn’t throw the wrappers away, instead he takes them to the van and throws them into the back seat. They fall all over mystery. Mystery shakes awake. “Woah!” he shouts. He pushes all of the wrappers away. “What is all of this?”

“Wrappers,” Lewis says. “What do they smell like?”

Mystery sniffs one, and licks his muzzle. “Mm, fish!” He says. I can see him drool. “Strong smell, yeah?” Lewis says. Mystery looks up at him. “Yes, why?”

“Arthur’s got a whole bag of Filet O’ Fish. We need you to help us track him down.” Mystery hops up into the seat. “Sure thing. Can I get some of those sandwiches?” He asks. I look at his, surprised. “Oh, yeah sure,” I say sarcastically, “We’re trying to save Arthur from this demon, but  _ sure _ , you can have the sandwiches.”

“Alright,” he huffs. “I get it.” He hops out of the van, and sniffs at the ground. Then, he lifts his head up, and sniffs at the air. “He went this way,” he said, turning his head to shout at us. He begins to break out into a sprint down the road.

“Mystery, wait!” Lewis shouts. We begin running after him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do y'all usually get @ McDonalds, if you ever go there? i get like... 20 McNuggets and a large fry and a sprite. That's the good shit

**Author's Note:**

> Every time I write a story with ???, I spin a wheel to choose what it's motive is, true story


End file.
